All Bank Cards Can Be Used Normally, Central Bank of Russia Says

The Central Bank of Russia has issued a notice, saying that all bank cards, regardless of their issuer, work normally in Russia and can be used for payment of products and services, transfers, as well as ATM operations. All funds in held in bank accounts and tied to the cards are safe and accessible to the clients.

The cards issued by the banks that are subject to western sanctions also work without any restrictions in Russia. The client funds in accounts linked to these cards are safe and accessible.

However, clients of the sanctioned banks would not be able to pay with these cards abroad and use these cards for payments in online stores registered in jurisdictions supporting the sanctions.

Also, the cards of these banks cannot be used with Apple Pay and Google Pay. But standard contact and contactless payments with these cards is accessible in Russia.

Due to the current situation in the financial market and in order to protect the rights and legitimate interests of investors in the financial markets, reduce risks and limit excessive volatility, the Bank of Russia has ordered brokers to suspend short selling on the exchange and over-the-counter market earlier this week.